Little Bird
by syc-amour
Summary: When she comes up in the Box, none of the boys know what to do or expect. What they do know is that this girl is important and they have to preserve her. No one seems to understand that more than Newt, who believes she is a big part of everything they've been through and becomes her primary protector. Rated T for now. Newt x OC. All characters involved. Movie AU.
1. Coming Up

Chapter One: Coming Up

 **NEWT**

The Runners were just skidding through the gates when the alarm sounded. Already exhausted, Minho and Ben waved me on and I took that as meaning that they would rest before the bonfire. I didn't know what exactly had happened, but they wore troubled looks on their faces, smudged with dirt and dust. Ben had a slight lilt to his step and Minho walked slower to allow him to catch up. Deciding that I would grill them later on what had gone on in the Maze today, I jogged toward the Box.

Alby and Gally were already there, pulling open the heavy metal trapdoor. The hinges screamed like they always did, having gotten worse throughout the years. The boys gathered eagerly around the Box, some of them shuffling from one foot to the other in anticipation for who the new Greenbean would be. Alby and Gally stared down into the Box, and Alby lifted his head to lock eyes with me instantly.

Something was wrong.

I pushed through the crowd, not unkindly, and came to a halt beside Alby, our trusted leader and my best friend. Alby never raised his voice, never acted without putting as much thought as he could into it beforehand, and never let another Glader suffer in their worry or panic of being stuck in this hell. He was a bit stocky with dark skin and a bald head that usually glistened with sweat from a hard day's work. I guessed that he had been attending to other things than physical labor since he didn't look worn out as he usually did.

"What the hell?" Gally growled, already angry. He was a hot head, and not many of us enjoyed his company because of it. Gally was tall and imposing, muscled with bushy dark eyebrows that made a high arch over his piercing blue eyes. He was not ugly, but definitely not handsome, but maybe that's because I disliked him a bit – and the fact that I preferred females.

I took my first look inside the Box and felt the same panic and confusion that Alby and Gally must have felt. Curled up on the grate that made up the floor of the Box, the same box that all of us boys had come up in over the years, was a girl. I drew in a sharp breath, and realized why I had chosen the word 'girl' specifically to describe her.

She looked so small, though she was not that young. Though her face was covered by her long, pitch black hair, her bodily features suggested seventeen, maybe eighteen at the oldest. But her skin was very pale and her arms were skinny; I imagined I could connect my thumb and forefinger around her forearm with a bit of space left to lose. Her legs were curled against her chest and her feet were bare, which was odd. All of us had come to the Glade fully clothed, but she was missing something rather important considering the wooded areas and sharp sticks hidden in the grasses.

Gally was about to jump down into the Box, which would shake the entire thing and probably terrify this waif of a girl, when Alby's arm shot out in front of him to stop his approach. Gally looked irritated, as he usually did, but he stepped back and watched on as Alby gently lowered himself into the Box. This would be the most gentle welcoming to the Glade they had experienced, considering none of them knew how to deal with the fragility of a female.

Alby first poked her on the shoulder and we all waited, holding our breaths. Some of the boys toward the back of the crowd started to murmur, asking what was happening. They were quickly shushed by the ones who were witnessing the strange site: the first girl. The Glade's only female resident ever. The girl didn't stir and after a few beats of no response, Alby lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his barrel chest. Her hair fell away from her face and I heard Gally's sharp inhale even from where I stood, as well as the gasps of onlookers.

She was beautiful. Though she was pale and looked as though she hadn't eaten or slept well in months, she was the prettiest thing I had ever laid eyes on. She had long black eyelashes to match her inkwell hair, full lips that were a soft pink and thankfully not blue, and a small delicate nose that accented the rest of her delicate little face. That was the perfect word to describe her: delicate. It looked like she was going to break apart at any moment.

"Newt," Alby called me softly and I stepped forward immediately, no longer caught in a trace as I gazed at the girl. He passed her up to me and I held her the same way he had: close to my chest, one arm around her back, and the other arm underneath her knees. She luckily wore pants, though they were loose on her thin body, and a large shirt that was obviously a man's size. She weighed next to nothing and was quite easy to hold.

Alby pulled himself out of the Box and looked to Gally, telling him to unload the supplies that had come up with her. He nodded to me and started to walk toward Homestead, the crowd that had gathered, though still gawking, parting for us both. They all remained mostly silent, though whispers could be heard, as if they didn't want to awaken the fragile little creature and frighten her.

As we walked toward Homestead, still not speaking, I couldn't help but examine her face up close. She had dark circles under her eyes that told me she hadn't slept very much for a very long time, as I had thought when I first laid eyes on her. Her cheeks were a bit more sallow-looking this close, so the assumption that she hadn't been fed very well was also proven true. As I watched her unconscious face and as I followed Alby toward our personal hut, I couldn't help the overwhelming sense of protectiveness I felt. For whatever reason, I knew then that I had to do anything and everything within my power to protect this girl, and to nurture her into a strong person who could be the key to getting everyone out of here.

It was just a feeling, deep inside my chest, but I just knew that she was one of the final keys to escaping this prison. This little bird, with her fragile features and dark hair like wings, was going to save all of us, or whoever was left.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Thank you for reaching the end of this first chapter! This is something I've been formulating for days, though I don't necessarily have a clear plot yet. I realize that there are tons and tons of fan fictions for The Maze Runner in which a girl is presented to the Glade, and I love the idea so I've taken it and run with it.**

 **To clear one important thing up: this universe of TMR is set in the film's universe, since I haven't gotten very far into the book. The film universe is much easier for me to visualize and manipulate inside my mind while writing, so I will be using main references from that.**


	2. Awakening

Chapter Two: Awakening

 **NEWT**

Alby instructed me to lay the girl down on my own hammock, and though I was slightly surprised at the idea, I did as I was told. I may have been second-in-command, but I was just that – second. When I had stood up straight and taken a few steps back from the sleeping girl, Alby ran a hand over his bald head. We stood there for a few moments, just watching her sleep.

"I'll get Jeff to look her over. Clint will be a bit too wily considering she's female." He spoke softly and I nodded, agreeing instantly. Jeff had gentler hands, and a much softer voice. If this girl awoke with him hovering over her, he could hopefully calm her down easily. Jeff was that type of guy, all soft and comforting. "You stay here in case she wakes up. I'll only be gone a second." And with that, he ducked out of our hut and was off to locate Jeff.

I sat on the stool I had fashioned for my section of the hut, though it couldn't be called a room quite. There was a very thin "wall" to cover most of the space from view of the other two "rooms" and main doorway, and it left only a bare opening for a doorway. I had laced the twigs and vines through the much stronger roof myself one afternoon, and when Alby saw what I had done he'd shown Gally. Even Gally seemed impressed and clapped me on the back. Though he was about my age and I was second-in-command, I felt very little brother in that moment. Getting a pat on the back for doing something well.

The girl stirred slightly and I was on my feet instantly, heart pounding. She turned onto her back, and then her stirring became more violent. She whimpered, as though she was trying to tear herself out of whatever dream world she had succumbed to. She wrenched upwards, a choking gasp escaping her dry lips. Her eyes flitted around the space frantically before resting on me, and they widened to the size of dinner dishes.

"It's alright," I spoke softly, holding my hands up in an attempt to show her that I was unarmed, "I'm not going to hurt you, and neither will anyone else." Her eyes left mine and she continued to look around the room, her eyes taking in every centimeter of the space. I realized then that they were a slate gray color with a black ring around the iris; strange and beautiful, as this little bird was herself.

"Where am I?" Her voice croaked horribly and she started to cough, to which I stepped toward her. She shied away from me, so I stopped. I let her cough for a few moments, knowing she had other questions that would flood out soon. When the coughing subsided, the flood gates open. "Tell me where I am. Why was I taken here? Who are you? Why... Why can't I _remember_?" The terror in her voice was something we had all felt and my heart ached for her, knowing how difficult it was.

"You are in a place we call the Glade. It's a lovely little field with a bit of woods and lots of green. What you're feeling is completely normal now; we've all felt it in our first days. None of us know why we were taken here, but we are here and we try to make the best of it. My name is Newt, and I am second-in-command here." I paused for a beat, wondering why she hadn't interrupted me yet. Most of the Greenbeans had interrupted by now, shouting about lies and screaming that they couldn't even remember their own names. "You can't remember because they didn't want you to remember. None of us remember anything except for our names, which yours should come back to you in a couple of days –"

"Lena," she blurted out, and she visibly relaxed a bit. "My name is Lena … I remember that much, but nothing else." I grinned at her, feeling strangely proud. She smiled timidly back, though she looked a bit proud of herself too.

"That's wonderful, that you remember so quickly," I told her, stepping toward her again. This time, she allowed me, having obviously gained a little bit of trust in me over the last few moments. "Now, I will explain everything in detail tomorrow, but as for the moment, our leader, Alby, is bringing one of our Med-Jacks to check on you. His name is Jeff, and he is very nice."

As I said this, Alby and Jeff file into the hut. Lena shrank back, but I take my final step toward her and touch her upper arm softly. She looked up at me, as if seeing if it was okay to even look at the two other boys. Alby held Jeff back a bit, and we waited for her to calm down a bit before we allowed him near her.

"Lena, would you allow Jeff to check you for injuries?" I ask her softly. She nods, having broken eye contact to look at Alby and Jeff before looking back up at me. I smile at her and move my hand to her shoulder blade, flat against her back. She looks back to Jeff and tries her best to smile at him, and it's adorable. Jeff smiles back at her and crouches in front of her.

"You already remember your name," Jeff comments, still smiling, "That's quite amazing." His eyes move to scanning her body for obvious injuries. "Will you stand up for me, Lena?" She looks up at me for conformation and when I nod, she does as asked and I notice that the top of her head barely reaches above my shoulder.

Alby stood near the doorway, watching the three of us interact intently. He needed to assess how she mingled with us to see if she would be an okay fit in the community. So far, though she showed an attachment to me already and me to her, I assumed that she would be alright among the boys. It was how they would interact around her that would be the problem. Suddenly I realized that Alby may not be assessing her, but myself and Jeff. The realization prickled my irritation slightly, but I had to remind myself that Alby was an unbiased character – he had to be to keep all of us safe inside of these four walls.

Jeff concluded that there was no obvious external injuries, but stared into Lena's eyes intently when he told her that if she was hurt, she needed to tell him immediately so that he could help her. She nodded swiftly, smiling a little bit. Her movements were a bit quick, like those of a clumsy fledgling, or a nervous girl surrounded by boys that she didn't know. And then, to shock us all, she threw her arms around Jeff's waist – since that's all she could reach comfortably – and squeezed him, thanking him softly.

Jeff stood frozen for a moment, and then his already usually calm face calmed more, an easy smile spreading across his mouth. He hugged her back and then broke their embrace, ruffling her dark hair at the crown of her head. A bite of jealousy hit me at their exchange, though I knew that when Jeff ruffled Lena's hair, it was a brotherly gesture of acceptance. I would reassess why exactly I became jealous later, now that Clint was practically stumbling through the doorway of our hut.

He marched right up to Lena, who cowered backwards until her back was against my chest. I held onto her upper arms and glared at Clint, who was too busy staring straight at her face. He said nothing, just stared at her, his eyes raking over every feature of her upper body before an almost creepy smile split his mouth.

"My name is Clint, and I'm the other Med-Jack. Welcome to the Glade!" Clint was a loud character with shaggy dark hair that fell into his eyes more times than you could count. I always wondered how he could stitch someone up while pushing his hair away from his forehead constantly. He always talked very fast and usually loudly, and though he was a bit annoying, he was a damn good Med-Jack.

Jeff was the calm, personable one with his dark skin and peach fuzz hair, smaller stature, and kind face. He and Clint were constantly together, but usually worked on their patients separately. When it came down to it, both of them were highly professional when someone was seriously injured. If the person had a minor injury, they would joke and holler all they wanted. I wondered how they switched on and off their calm and professionalism.

"Newt," Alby said as Jeff and Clint left our hut. Lena was still practically curled in on herself against my chest, and I looked up from where I had been staring at the top of her head. "I'm going to see if the supplies have any better fitting clothes for her. Did you see the Runners make it back?"

I nodded, and Lena immediately looked up at me with a question in her eyes. "I'll explain everything later, I promise," I told her quietly before Alby began again.

"Lena, I don't believe I've introduced myself. My name is Alby, the leader of the Glade. Before I go, I want to make this very, very clear to you. We have three rules in the Glade: Never, ever go into the Maze. Never harm another Glader. And be sure to do your part." Lena nodded, though she may not have understood everything about our rules. Alby looked to me and nodded, as if silently saying that it was my job to care for her knowledge of our predicament.

Alby left and Lena turned to me, her mouth open to start blurting questions already. I held up my hand, smiling at her to soften a possibly rude gesture. "Like I said, I will explain everything in details in the morning. We need to prepare for the bonfire."

"Bonfire?" She tilted her head to the side, an animalistic gesture that further strengthened my internal nickname for her – Little Bird. I nodded and grinned at her, to which she returned, I guessed feeding off of my excitement.

"Every time we get a new Greenbean, we celebrate with a bonfire and a feast of what the Creators sent up with them. That Greenbean is you this month, Lena."

Again, she tilted her head. "What's a Greenbean?"

I laughed.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: And there is the second chapter. As you can probably see, Lena and Newt's relationship is already budding fairly quickly. I did this because I didn't want Lena to seem damaged or insane because of their lifestyle and what they've been through; I wanted her to be as pure and innocent as I could make her. Lena will be the light in their dim world, and that will unfold throughout the chapters.**

 **I may be switching story point-of-views from first to third accidentally, and I apologize for that. For whatever reason, my mind will not allow me to write in one POV at a time.**

 **And thank you to the first person who has reviewed this!**

 **Also, Lena's point-of-view will come soon.**


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